Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) & PROCEPT BioRobotics (NASDAQ:PRCT) Critical Comparison

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) and PROCEPT BioRobotics (NASDAQ:PRCT) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Becton, Dickinson and Company and PROCEPT BioRobotics, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Becton, Dickinson and Company	0	6	5	0	2.45
PROCEPT BioRobotics	0	1	6	0	2.86

Becton, Dickinson and Company currently has a consensus price target of $231.44, indicating a potential upside of 35.19%. PROCEPT BioRobotics has a consensus price target of $90.00, indicating a potential upside of 64.32%. Given PROCEPT BioRobotics’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe PROCEPT BioRobotics is more favorable than Becton, Dickinson and Company.

Volatility & Risk

Becton, Dickinson and Company has a beta of 0.31, indicating that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PROCEPT BioRobotics has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.0% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.5% of PROCEPT BioRobotics shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Becton, Dickinson and Company shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.6% of PROCEPT BioRobotics shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Becton, Dickinson and Company and PROCEPT BioRobotics’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Becton, Dickinson and Company	8.47%	15.74%	7.29%
PROCEPT BioRobotics	-50.07%	-38.57%	-26.06%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Becton, Dickinson and Company and PROCEPT BioRobotics”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Becton, Dickinson and Company	$20.87 billion	2.35	$1.71 billion	$5.24	32.67
PROCEPT BioRobotics	$249.12 million	12.16	-$105.90 million	($1.70)	-32.22

Becton, Dickinson and Company has higher revenue and earnings than PROCEPT BioRobotics. PROCEPT BioRobotics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Becton, Dickinson and Company, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

About Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. The BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular access technology, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication safety and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; and prefillable drug delivery systems. The BD Life Sciences segment offers specimen and blood collection products; automated blood and tuberculosis culturing, molecular testing, microorganism identification and drug susceptibility, and liquid-based cytology systems, as well as rapid diagnostic assays, microbiology laboratory automation products, and plated media products; and fluorescence-activated cell sorters and analyzers, antibodies and kits, reagent systems, and solutions for single-cell gene expression analysis, as well as clinical oncology, immunological, and transplantation diagnostic/monitoring reagents and analyzers. The BD Interventional segment provides hernia and soft tissue repair, biological and bioresorbable grafts, biosurgery, and other surgical products; surgical infection prevention; peripheral intervention products; and urology and critical care products. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

About PROCEPT BioRobotics

PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation, a surgical robotics company, focuses on developing transformative solutions in urology in the United States and internationally. The company develops, manufactures, and sells AquaBeam Robotic System, an image-guided, surgical robotic system for use in minimally invasive urologic surgery with a focus on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It also designs Aquablation therapy for males suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH. PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.